08 September 2011

If I had not traversed through these narrow streets and gullies I would never have believed the amount of stuff it is possible to pick up in Gorakhpur. Last Saturday three of my friends and I decided to venture into the interiors of the old market and were amply rewarded for our efforts.

We bought everything from plastic containers and mugs to cheap pearl earrings. From lace and appliques to material for kurtis. From card making stuff to curtain making stuff. From fridge magnets to a bartan rack made out of steel. It was like we were on a scavenger hunt.

And then not satisfied with the small street shops we headed over to the City Mall and did grocery shopping in Spencers. On the way back home someone had the bright idea of hitting the canteen and we did that as well.Loaded with shopping bags we bundled back into the auto and got stuck at the railway crossing for twenty minutes.

We left the house at ten in the morning and got back only at quarter to six in the evening. After which I had a splitting headache and went straight for a bath. After having washed off oodles of dust and mud I sank face first into the bed and stayed that way for half an hour.
The next day duly recovered from the trip I sat down and hand stitched a couple of window curtains using the cloth and the lace jhalar that I had picked up in Urdu Bazaar the previous day. And this is what they look like. The Photo does not seem too bright as I took it from my mobile camera and not with the regular one. Still I think it gives you a fair idea about what I managed to make.

This was a folder that I made for an Afwwa Competition last year. I thought I might share it with you guys too. The concept was mother earth on her sliver of green with the oceans of blue on which she floats. The tree was the symbolic tree of life which binds all creatures of earth. And of course the butterflies were to show the teeming life that flutters its wings in the world.

I wrote about all the stuff we did on our Baby's Day Out when the four of us went to Urdu Bazaar in my last blog post. As if once was not enough I went again the following Saturday. This time with an entirely new set of ladies. The four of us did not waste too much time this time round as we all knew just what we wanted to buy.

Plus this time round I was able to play guide and take them to the right shops all along the way. I picked up a beautiful Baransi silk sari for a friend of mine and was seriously tempted to pick up one for myself. Then I stopped myself, with great regret, and indulged in picking up a couple of embroidered suit pieces.
This time round the trip was not quite as long as we left the cantt only after 11 in the morning and were home by 5 in the evening. We missed lunch but managed to grab some roasted bhutta on the way. Each one of us claimed that none of our husbands would have ever let us go walking the streets eating bhutta and shopping the way we were.

It was a fairly relaxed outing as compared to the last time. I also managed to see the famous Geeta Vastra Vibhag, but personally I prefer going up to the Krishna cloth house bang opposite. the guy has more our kind of stuff than the Geeta Press people do. Picked up some pillow covers with nice bright flowers. Should cheer up the room. That's it for now.